Inside This House

Chapter 6 Katie waved goodbye to Parker and her children, and waddled morosely back into the house, following behind Kennedy and Carson. It was almost unbearable, watching them drive away and she felt like crying. The week since Easter had flown by and now she found herself missing home, and her family, more than ever. Kennedy and Carson had made the time even more special for her and Parker, by taking over babysitting duties for several hours each day, so she and Parker could have some much-needed alone time. Her sisters-in-law had taken her children to Inner Space Caverns, the Austin Children's Museum, picnicking in Zilker Park, hiking up Mt. Bonnell, tubing in New Braunfels, horseback riding, bat watching, swimming in Barton Springs, and to just about every kid-friendly venue in the greater Austin area. They'd even taken over egg-dying and conducted the annual Easter egg hunt. The children had had the time of their lives, and the time with Parker had been glorious. She carefully made her way to the kitchen, one hand idly resting on her belly and the other braced against her back. "Ugh." She sat down in a chair at the small table in the corner of the large chef's kitchen, and gratefully accepted a glass of lemonade from Carson. "Thanks." "No problem." Carson sat down across from her, while Kennedy rummaged around in the large freezer that sat in the mud room between the kitchen and the back porch. "The only thing that would make this better is if it was Mike's Hard Lemonade." Katie took a sip. "Three more months." She looked down and patted her rotund stomach. "Okay, maybe two." "Found it!" Kennedy called out triumphantly. "Found what, honey?" Carson yelled back. "The carton of Bluebell Homemade Vanilla I managed to save from the kids." She appeared in the doorway with the ice cream in one hand and a large container of chocolate syrup in the other. "Any takers?" She looked from her lover to her sister-in-law, both of whom were staring at her with disbelieving expressions on their faces. "What?" She looked down. "Did I get syrup on me or something?" "My, my, Shea." Katie snickered. "I expect any day now to walk in here and see you chowing down on a cheeseburger and fries." "I've always liked ice cream," Kennedy protested. "Liking it and actually eating it are two different things," Katie retorted. "I've known you for eight months and you've never bought ice cream before, not even at the ice cream shop. But I'm glad you did." Carson got up and retrieved three bowls, three spoons, and a dipper from the cabinets. "I got it for the kids when I got that carton of cookies and cream they finished off," Kennedy groused, setting the carton down on the table.

"Uh-huh. And that's why you hid it from them," Katie teased. Carson passed by Kennedy, patting her on the belly. "It's okay, honey. I thought your stomach was getting a little too concave. A few extra pounds looks good on you." "I have not gained a few extra pounds!" Kennedy exclaimed in indignation. "I run 20-25 miles a week and lift weights 3 or 4 days. There's no way I've gained." She studied her own stomach and hips intently. "Have I?" "Only a few." Carson tugged at her hand until she took a seat and leaned over, pecking Kennedy on the cheek. "I'm glad. It was getting to where I could count your ribs by sight as well as feel. It's a lot more comforting to hug you when I can feel something besides bones hugging me back." She smiled and tugged at the hem of Kennedy's t-shirt, then sat back down. "So I'm more huggable if I eat a bowl of ice cream every now and then? Carson nodded in response and smiled, as Kennedy scooped up the ice cream, passing the filled bowls around the table. She held up the container of chocolate syrup, reading the label. "What's polysorbate and monoglyceride? Should we be eating this stuff?" "Now that's more like the Shea I know." Katie laughed. "Me too." Carson took the syrup from Kennedy, drizzling it over her ice cream. "Sweetheart, I've been eating this stuff since I was a toddler, and it hasn't hurt me yet." "I fed that to the kids, though." Kennedy frowned in worry. "My kids eat McDonald's twice a month, Shea. Every Friday night they get to choose a place to go out to eat and it's always Mickey D's or Chuck E Cheese. I don't think a few chemical additives in chocolate syrup is going to kill them. Besides, it gets balanced with what I cook at home, and when Erin helps me cook, we tend to eat vegetarian." Katie shook a spoon at Kennedy. "That's your fault, by the way. She wants to be just like you and now you've got my entire family hooked on black bean veggie burgers. The local ranchers would lynch us if they found out." "Really?" Kennedy was charmed. She was doing her best to be a positive role model for her niece, knowing there was an element of hero-worship between them. It was nice to hear those efforts were paying off in unexpected ways. She'd not been surprised at all when Erin downloaded Kennedy's entire Indigo Girls collection to her iPod, but molding a young vegetarian in the heart of cattle country was something she'd never imagined. "Really." Katie sat back in her chair, relishing the cold treat. Being pregnant in Austin in late spring was a hell only surpassed by the hell it would've been in August. Anything that cooled her body off was welcome, and she'd been making at least one visit a day down to the lake to recline in the water in an inner tube Kennedy had rigged up next to the dock ladder so she could ease herself into it without much effort. Getting out was as simple as rolling to the side and then climbing carefully up the ladder. Sadly, she feared her days in the water were numbered as her growing belly got more and more in the way with each new morning. "Oh, that reminds me." Kennedy sat down and poured some of the wicked chocolate sauce on her ice cream, receiving an elbow to the ribs from Carson as she swirled it liberally over her snack. "Hey!" She nudged back. "That reminds me. Speaking of vegetables, next Saturday I'm speaking to the Lago Vista Garden Club." Carson choked on her ice cream, receiving a pat to the back. She recovered and grinned wickedly at her lover. "Do I need to buy you a sun dress and a wide-brimmed bonnet?" "No. I'm compromising with a pair of khaki's, my hair in a ponytail, and a baseball cap and jersey from the high school." Kennedy gave Carson a noogie on the head with her middle knuckle. "I'd prefer you wear the sun dresses and I'll leave the wide-brimmed bonnets to my mother." "Ooo, not one of those baseball hats with the Viking horns?" Carson teased. "No. Just a regular hat with 'Lago Vista Vikings' on it," Kennedy shot back. "Garden Club?" Katie questioned with a tilt of her head. "Not exactly your crowd, Shea." "I know. They somehow found out about the orange grove and the herb garden and invited me to speak about tending them." She scratched the bridge of her nose. "They -- um -- said some of the Sprouts will be attending." "Sprouts?" Carson swallowed a healthy portion of ice cream. "Ouch! Brain freeze." She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to pass. "Here, drink some water." Kennedy shoved a bottle toward her. "Thanks." Carson took a swig of the room temperature beverage, immediately feeling her head stop screaming at her. "Welcome." Kennedy rubbed her back. "Anyway, the Sprouts are a group of elementary school kids who are learning about gardening and farming. They're going to plant an orchard and so that's kind of how this whole thing came about." "Children and church ladies." Katie tisked. "You'll really have to keep it clean, Shea." "Hey, I can do clean." Kennedy poked out her lower lip. "But the reason I mentioned it, is Heidi is getting moved into her corporate apartment this week and I'd invited her out on the boat on Saturday, before Chip told me about the garden club. I was hoping y'all could entertain her until I get home. I should be home in time to catch a few rays with y'all and maybe we can grill up some kabobs and maybe make a pitcher of sangria." "Sure." Carson glanced at Katie. "You up for it?" "I'm afraid I may be limited to a lounge chair on the dock," Katie mourned. "It's gotten to where I feel like I'm going to fall down on the boat all the time, even when I'm sitting down." "Oh. Okay. We'll drop anchor close enough we can still talk to you, how's that?" "That' works, unless it's too hot to sit outside. If that's the case, I'll hang inside and read until time to grill." Katie looked regretfully down at her stomach. "But no sangria for me until I'm done nursing these girls." "We can make some home-made fruit punch, too." Kennedy offered. "Thanks, Shea. Y'all have been so good to me." Katie smiled. "Parker and I can't thank you enough for taking on the kids this past week. I imagine you both need a vacation from your vacation." "Heck, no," Kennedy responded. "One of the best vacations of my life. It was great to go all those places. We didn't get to do much like that when I was growing up." "Yeah," Carson chimed in. "There were really four kids running around with me last week, not three." "Uh-huh." Kennedy poked her. "And which 'kid' nearly puked from eating too many hot dogs and then running around Zilker Park playing Frisbee? Hmmmm?" "Oh, okay, there were three younger kids and two older ones." Carson rolled her eyes. "Sorry Katie, but your kids had no adult supervision last week." "Hon, you've met my husband. They almost never have adult supervision." Katie smiled, her expression melancholy. "Lord, I miss them, and they just left." She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. "Until now, the most Parker and I have ever been apart is three nights, and that was if he had to go off on some sleuthing project out of town. And we go out on dates every now and then, but most weekends we do stuff with our kids. We really enjoy them. I know that should be a given, but I mean we really, really like spending time with them. I'd not trade t-ball games or those dinners at Chuck E Cheese for anything. They grow up so fast." She patted Carson's arm. "You'll see what I mean." "I'm sure we will." Carson smiled. "I had such a good time with them this past week. I felt a little more capable of being a good parent than I did before." She wrapped her hand around Kennedy's arm. "Though I'm still thinking we should wait four or five years." "Four or five sounds good to me." Kennedy grinned. "Although Mama got the picture of the rings. I think she's expecting more grandbabies soon, and I'm not talking about the ones Katie's carrying right now. I told her we'd like to get through the joining ceremony first, and then we'd talk more about kids." "You still want to shoot for October?" Carson gazed at a calendar on the refrigerator. "Or should we --?" "Wait until after the election?" Kennedy finished for her. "I was thinking maybe a Thanksgiving wedding." "One year from when we proposed to each other?" Carson's eyes glowed, and she turned to Kennedy. "I'd like that. All the more reason to be thankful." "Yeah." Kennedy looked down at Carson's hand. Her thumb was brushing back and forth, lightly tickling her skin, and Kennedy smiled, realizing Carson didn't seem to be conscious of it. It was an automatic thing these days -- touching each other whenever they were close. It was nice, and warmed her to the very core. "And I thought, after last Thanksgiving, maybe we could have one with no disasters this year." Katie snorted. "Every wedding has at least one crisis. Maybe you should go to Canada and elope." Blue eyes met gray, and two lovers smiled in mutual unspoken thought. Finally, Kennedy broke the silence. "We both like to snow ski." "Honeymoon in Banff?" Carson added. "Yeah." Yeah. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kennedy fielded a question from a group of eager fourth graders. It had been an interesting afternoon with the garden club. Even the press had shown up. She should have expected them, but it had simply never occurred to her the press would cover such an event. Nonetheless, the cameras and microphones had remained politely in the back of the room, uttering not so much as a peep as she discussed oranges, fresh mint leaves, and catnip. The crowd was decidedly mixed, mostly female, and included everything from wide-eyed first graders to grandmothers in their Sunday best, all dressed up for the hip young politician who was their guest of the month. "Alright. One more question and then I have to get home and make sure my partner hasn't fried herself out in the sun on our boat." She looked around, searching for someone she hadn't called on yet, as young hands shot up. "You." She pointed at a thin girl with bright red hair, glasses, and a multitude of freckles dotting her face. As she smiled, she revealed a shiny retainer hugging her upper teeth. "What's your question, sweetie, and what's your name?" "I'm Kelsey Kissinger. What I was going to ask, is what do you do with your leftover oranges?" The girl twisted a red braid around her finger. "But now I want to ask you if you think it's a good idea for your partner to be out in the sun like that." The girl held out both arms. "Mine just turn bright red. My mom tells me tanning isn't cool anymore and she makes me wear SPF 50 every day." The room was dead silent, Kennedy suspected, not because of the question about sunning, but because of a direct question about her partner. Carson had come up very little during the discussion, other than as incidental to her help with gardening on their property. She smiled and cleared her throat. "How about I answer both questions?" A sea of heads nodded, most accompanied by smiling faces. "My parents run a bed and breakfast out in Alpine, Texas. I crate a lot of our oranges and ship them out to them so they can make fresh juice for their guests. I also crate oranges to send to the women's shelter here in Austin as well as to a couple of homeless shelters and soup kitchens. I know a few of the women here in Lago Vista volunteer at some of those kitchens, so I imagine some of those oranges have passed through their hands at one time or another." Kennedy inwardly winced. Both Chip and Brian had stressed the importance of her drawing prospective voters into her world, making connections with them as she was able. It seemed a bit smarmy, but harmless enough, especially if she got some of the children and adults to think about devoting their time to charity. "So you share?" Kelsey responded with a big smile. "My mom and dad say it's important to give to people who have less than we do. Every year we go through our closets and give away clothes and toys and things we don't use anymore. My Sunday School teacher says that, too. But I still don't think staying out in the sun is so good." Light laughter broke out, Kennedy joining in. "True." She looked around, hesitating before she continued. "I moved here to Lago Vista, partly because of Lake Travis. I enjoy the water and I have a sailboat and a ski boat at home, as well as a couple of wave runners. And you're right, Kelsey. I never go out on the lake without putting on sunscreen. My skin is naturally dark and I don't burn very easily, but that doesn't make it safe for me to go out unprotected." "Wow, that's not a tan!" Another pig-tailed blonde girl next to Kelsey exclaimed. "Wicked!"

More laughter greeted her ears and she had to stop for a moment, remembering all the times growing up when her dark skin had been her nemesis. Now it was 'wicked.' She smiled. "I'm part Comanche, so nope, no tan. But anytime we go on the lake we are exposed to the sun. I encourage my partner to slather it on sunscreen, too. Sometimes she listens, sometimes she doesn't." "Why don't you just make her put it on?" Kelsey asked reasonably. "I don't often try to maker her, or anyone else, do something against their will." She was treading on shaky ground, sensing Kelsey wasn't the only one in the room who went to Sunday School. She could see lights on video cameras in the back of the room and instantly knew she would be a sound bite on the evening news. Brian and Chip would be beside themselves. Ah, well, she smiled. At least by answering the question she'd get some fun out of terrorizing her two constant tormentors. "Kelsey, does your dad try to make your mom do things she doesn't want to do?" Kelsey giggled. "Not if he wants dinner cooked, he doesn't." This was met with a roar of laugher from the crowd, and Kennedy spotted a red-headed woman a few rows back, who was blushing furiously, obviously the 'mom' in question. "There is that reason," Kennedy agreed with her. "But the greater reason is that in any relationship, there are lines you shouldn't cross. I will reason with Carson about why I want her to wear her sunscreen, and I'll ask her politely to limit her time out on the boat, and she knows it's because I care about her and don't want her to get hurt. But in the long run, I have to respect that it's her life and her choice. Respect is one of the most important things you should have for someone, if you are going to spend your life with them." "Well --" Kelsey drawled. "I think my dad respects my mom, but I think it's a lot about dinner, too." "I imagine if Carson threatened me with no dinner, it would be a big factor with me, too." Kennedy laughed. "Thank you all. It's been a pleasure." As she stepped away from the podium, she was greeted by a forward surge of young autograph seekers, clutching their programs, which bore her black and white image on the front cover. She looked back at the garden club president, who had been sitting in a chair to the side of the platform. "Do you have a pen?" The woman, smartly dressed in pale blue Capri pants and a matching top, immediately produced a bright red sharpie. "There, that should stand out against the black and white." Joyce, the president, smiled, and moved about the room, organizing the group into a neat line, before making her way back to Kennedy's side. She leaned over conspiratorially. "Just between you and me, half these women aren't in the garden club. They just wanted to hear you speak." Kennedy stopped in mid-signature and looked over at Joyce. "Interesting." She handed the signed program to a young boy and took one from a little girl behind him. "Interesting?" Joyce chuckled. "What, you didn't think a bunch of Republican women in the heart of the hill country would want to hear what you have to say?" "Hmm. Well." Kennedy shook hands with a gushing adult woman who was in line with the children. "I figured they might hear it, but not like it. I'm not exactly a suburban housewife." "Oh, but that's your appeal, don't you see?" Joyce steered a few people who had already obtained autographs toward the door, to alleviate the crowd. "These women are trying to raise their daughters to be more than they were able to be. Everyone wants their children to have better lives than they had. We're always looking for positive role models to balance the Lindsay Lohan posters on our daughters' walls. When we found out you were into gardening, I received at least a fifty requests to invite you to speak." "Really?" Kennedy shook her head in disbelief. "I am going to assume most of them know I'm gay. Yet they see me as a role model?" "Let me put it to you another way." Kelsey's mother joined in the conversation. "Hi, I'm Candace, by the way." "Nice to meet you, Candace." Kennedy shook her hand. "Miss Nocona, my daughter has talked about nothing but meeting you, for two weeks now. She's usually shy and because of her glasses and her teeth, she gets teased a lot at school." Candace glanced over at Kelsey, who was sitting quietly in a corner, smiling down at Kennedy's autograph on her program. "Oh." Kennedy studied Kelsey more closely and the girl looked up, waving and flashing her a brilliant smile. She waved back and Kelsey smiled more shyly in return. "I was teased a lot, too, growing up. That's a tough thing." "Yes, it is now, even though I think she's going to be a beauty and I tell her that almost every day" Candace continued. "I keep telling her to aim for the stars, that she can be anything she wants to be. But she's never really believed me, until she saw you on television. For some reason, seeing a local, strong woman running for office resonated with her. Anyway, she came to me after you were on the news and she told me she wants to be a lawyer. It knocked my socks off, let me tell you." "That she wants to be a lawyer?" Kennedy asked in surprise. "Lots of little girls want to be doctors and lawyers these days." "I know, but you don't get it. My husband is a lawyer. We've tried and tried to make her understand that she has many choices, but seeing you, I think she finally understood. Most of the women she's around are like me. Stay at home mothers, and her teachers, most of whom are also married with children. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see her in a happy marriage with children, but I want her to do something just for herself as well. I don't want her to ever feel like she can't be something all on her own." Candace took Kennedy's hand, grasping it between her own two. "I'm a Methodist, sugar, I don't care about your private life. I do care that you're someone my shy daughter can look up to, and find hope for her own future. She's been walking with her head a little higher these past few weeks. "Well--" Kennedy was humbled to the point of sheepishness. It was completely unexpected. "I'm glad I could help. Listen, if your daughter would ever like to visit my office, give me a call and we'll set it up." She fished a business card out of her pocket and handed it over. "Oh, she'd be thrilled!" Candace tucked the card into her purse. Kennedy felt the Treo buzz and unclipped it, glancing at a text message from Carson: 'When are you coming home?' it read, 'I'm topless sunbathing with Heidi, but I'd rather be doing it with you. And yes, I'm completely sober. I didn't make the sangria after all. Heidi really is on the wagon. Love you. - C.' Kennedy smiled and clipped the phone back in place. "Listen, I've got to --" "Excuse me." An older woman with salt and pepper hair briskly butted in, her nose in the air. "I'm withdrawing my granddaughter's membership from the Sprouts, effective immediately." "Now, Dottie," Joyce soothed. "What's the matter, now? And where's Samantha and your daughter-in law? Are you certain Samantha wants to leave the Sprouts?" "She doesn't get a choice. I brought my granddaughter here today because her good-for-nothing mother, my son's wife, is out of town on business and couldn't bring her herself." She sniffed loudly and turned to Kennedy, stepping back as if she were contagious. "She merely said we were listening to a discussion on orchards. Now I've had to send her out to the car for asking inappropriate questions. I had no idea we'd be subjected to your kind." "My kind?" Kennedy tilted her head to the side. "I know lawyers can be sharks, ma'am, but really, I'm not one of the bottom-dwellers, I promise." "Ohhhhh! That's not what I'm talking about!" Dottie hissed. "You have no business being around children. You disgust me!" She stormed away, leaving the three women staring open-mouthed behind her. "Um." Kennedy rubbed the side of her neck. "I guess it's safe to assume she's not a Methodist?" Joyce and Candace quickly recovered from their mortification at their guest's treatment. Candace laughed and patted Kennedy's arm. "No, sugar, she's a Baptist with a stick up her rear end a mile long. Pay her no mind." "Other than to feel badly for her granddaughter. For that, I’m sorry," Kennedy apologized. "I believe in being honest, but I don't care to see a child get into trouble because they were curious about me." "Oh, don't worry about Samantha. She'll be back at the next Sprout meeting." Joyce chuckled. "Her mother, Heather, is one of our most devoted members. What Dottie didn't mention is what Heather does on her business trips. She's a card-carrying Pagan and she's a yoga master. She's teaching a workshop out in Santa Fe and Dottie's son hasn't graced the doors of church since the day they married. They're vegetarians, like you, and they've even taken Heather to a family nudist colony a time or two. Chaps Dottie's behind to no end." "See?" Candace laughed at Kennedy's wide-eyed expression. "We have all kinds in Lago Vista, just like any other place. If you ever have any free time, you'd be welcome to join us just as a fellow garden-lover." "Thank you," Kennedy shook each woman's hand in turn. "I appreciate that. Maybe after the election and things calm down, I'll take you up on it. Meanwhile --" She signed a program and handed it over to Candace. "Will you make sure Samantha gets this, and let her mother know she's welcome to visit the office as well?" "Absolutely." Candace beamed, Joyce's expressions matching her. Both women waved cheerily as Kennedy stole away toward the parking lot. Candace turned to Joyce, her voice dreamy. "Don't get me wrong. I do love my husband, but for the first time, I do get the other side." "Mmmm-hmmm," Joyce hummed. "Get in line." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The boat rocked gently from side to side, rattling the anchor chain and luffing the flag at the aft. The sun was pleasantly warm, shining down from a clear, blue sky. A gaggle of baby geese swam by, honking noisily at their mother, who led them toward the tall marsh grass downwind of the boathouse. Heidi felt the boat rock harder and lazily opened one hazel eye, just in time to catch Carson removing her swimsuit top. "What in the hell are you doing?" "Hello, pot? Kettle here." Carson gazed pointedly at Heidi's own top, which lay in a crumpled ball on one corner of her towel. "You just make sure Shea knows I had nothing to do with the sunburn you'll be getting, missy." Heidi looked down at her own chest and poked it with one finger, smiling in satisfaction. She had no tan lines up top. Not a one. Carson, on the other hand . . . "Really, Carson, I don't want Shea blaming me for corrupting you on my first day over here." Carson snorted, almost choking on her iced tea. "Come on. You know who I live with. Do you honestly think my clothes ever stay on when I'm out on this boat?" To her credit, Heidi had the good grace to blush. "Listen, babe. She's my best friend. I don't need to be thinking about her like that, okay?" "Sorry." Carson laughed and patted Heidi's shoulder. "Just, I'm not the naïve little girl y'all found on the dance floor at the Round-Up. And I'm glad. I like feeling free to be myself and be a little crazy every now and then. But actually, I just text-messaged Kennedy and told her I was topless sunbathing with you. I didn't want to be lying, so --" She grinned, twirling the top around over her head and then letting it fly. "Oh! Dang." The top flew a little further than intended, hitting the water. Carson stood, intent on going after it before it sank, but the combination of sun and two lethargic hours in a horizontal position, caused the blood rush to her head. She saw spots and stumbled, almost falling overboard. "Whoa!" Heidi caught her hand just in time, jerking her back to the middle of the boat. "Oh --" Carson fell, landing on her hands and knees, straddling Heidi. "Damn." She fell the rest of the way, going nose-to-nose, and belly-to-belly with Heidi, but quickly rolled back up to her knees. "Hey." Heidi reached up, grasping Carson's wrist to steady her. "You okay? You're shaking" "Yeah." Carson grinned sheepishly and clambered off Heidi, collapsing on her back on her own towel next to her. "Sorry. I think my blood sugar is low." Heidi frowned and rolled to her side. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" "Just my pride." Carson laughed. "Okay, I might have bruised my knee, but no, I'm fine. Sorry I squished you for a minute there." "No worries." Heidi poked her in the ribs. "If having a cute, half-naked girl fall on me is the worst thing that happens today, that's a pretty good day in my book." "Heh." Carson grinned. "Now I can honestly say I've touched more than one woman's naked breasts. And here I thought Kennedy would be the only one, ever. Oh! My top!" She sat up, only to have Heidi push her back down. "Stay put, blondie. I'll get your top. Last thing I need is Shea blaming me for bruising you and leaving you to roast in the sun topless." She dove overboard and retrieved the top, wrung it out, and let it fly, smacking Carson in the face with a loud 'thwap.' "Hey!" Carson sat up in indignation. "No smacking the cute half-naked girl with her own clothes." She rose to her knees and crawled across the deck, laying the top out in the sun to dry, holding it down with a square lead dive weight. "There." She crawled back to her towel and flopped down on her back, stretching out and yawning, thoroughly enjoying the warmth of the sun beating down. Heidi joined her and they both closed their eyes. The music from an iPod docking station drifted up from inside the cabin, upbeat calypso music joining in with the music of the water slapping against the side of the boat, and the katydids singing in the trees onshore. "I want a beer in the worst way," Heidi commented. "And I do mean worst." Carson rolled her head to the side, regarding Heidi's closed-eyed profile. "Is it hard?" "God, yes," Heidi drawled. "They say to take it one day at a time, but sometimes, you have to take it one hour at a time. You know what's crazy?" "What?" Carson got up and prudently poured two more glasses of the cold, refreshing peach tea. "Here." She handed Heidi a glass. "Thank you." Heidi sat up enough to drink, propping her weight on one elbow. "I never realized how much drinking was a part of just everything. Like today. It's a beautiful day. Almost perfect. The weather is just right. Not too hot, not too cold. The sun feels good. We're in a private cove on a beautiful lake. I'm all moved into my apartment. And Shea has promised to cook for us tonight. I'm with two of my best friends in the whole world. What more could I ask for, unless Kelly Clarkson were to suddenly decide she's gay and has the hots for me." Heidi laughed. "And yet I want a beer. Just because. I drank to celebrate and I drank to come down. Drank when I was happy and when I was angry. Every occasion called for a drink. And now I have to learn how to live without it. It's like I have to find out who I am, all over again." "I’m glad you moved here," Carson reached across, touching her arm briefly. "I know it's a tough time for you, but I think K is really glad you're coming on board at the office. If you need anything, you know you can call on us, right?" "Thanks." Heidi smiled and lay back down, setting her tea aside. She retrieved a cigarette from her beach bag and lit it up, taking a deep drag and slowly releasing the smoke. "Hell, I promised Shea I'd give these up, too, before I turn forty. I can't even think about it right now. If I had to kick alcohol and cigarettes at the same time, you'd have to lock me up." "One bad habit at a time, huh?" Carson eyed the cigarette, wondering what it was like. "Good thing we're not drinking." "Why?" Heidi tilted her head to one side. "I mean, I know why I'm not, but why you?" "For a minute there I wanted to try one of your cigarettes. I don't know --" She shook her head. "What?" Heidi scooted closer, her curiosity piqued. She'd only been around Carson a few times, once when Carson visited Kennedy for the first time, and the other times had been in Dallas during one crisis after another. It occurred to her she didn't really know her best friend's girlfriend. "It's just --" Carson sighed. "I know so much about Kennedy's past. She's told me a lot, especially when we were in Alpine with her family. Lots of memories and things came up there, and we both had a lot of stuff to work out. I'm so in love with her. Once I made up my mind, I've never looked back. She's it, for me, for life. But there's this part of her I don't think I'll ever truly understand. I can listen and I can sympathize, but I can't empathize." She shrugged. "I've never done anything. No drugs. No pot. Not even cigarettes. Sometimes I think she holds back part of herself from me, to protect me. Does that make sense?" "Like she thinks you might break?" Heidi frowned. Carson was small, but solid, yet she could see something there, under the surface, a certain vulnerability that she could easily see her friend trying to protect. Still, between Kennedy and Carson, Carson wasn't the fragile one. Heidi shook her own head, smiling. Shea was so blind sometimes. It was easy, from a mile away, to see who would break more easily, and it wasn't Carson. "No, like she's afraid she'll break me, if she lets me see too much of that part of her." Carson held out her hand. "Can I try it?" Both of Heidi's brows shot up, but she quickly recovered, and casually held out the half-smoked piece of temptation. "Okay, but don't inhale. Just suck the smoke into your mouth and blow it out." "Okay." Carson took it and held it to her lips, and did exactly as she was told. "Hmmm." She gave it back. "I still don't get it. That didn't taste so great, but it wasn't all that bad. Can I have one of my own?" Heidi hesitated, wondering if Kennedy would kill her if she found out. But there was something in Carson's expression. "Carson, I don't think she thinks you'll break. I think you're her rock. You're solid for her and she needs that sometimes." "Am I her rock, or am I up on a pedestal?" Carson retorted. "God, you'd think she and I had been fighting. We haven't. Things have been really good between us. I guess --" She fished a cigarette out of the pack Heidi offered over. "I just want to be her equal. I don't want her to be afraid to let me see every part of her." "Here." Heidi took the cigarette and lit it, then handed it back over. "Don't you dare get hooked on these things, you here me? This is just for today." "I won't." Carson smiled, happy for the moment just to hold it and study the paper as it burned and crinkled away from the growing mound of glowing ash. "It's not my style." She took a very cautious puff, just as she'd done before. "I guess I just want to understand her a little bit better. And I guess, I can see how this would make you feel cool, especially for her when she was in high school out there. She was such a loner." "Yeah, it's cool alright," Heidi snorted. "Right up until you realize you're spending a small fortune and buying a carton a week. It's not glamorous, Carson. It's a nasty, addictive habit. I'm glad Shea was able to kick it. She's a lot stronger than I am." "She's a lot stronger than both of us," Carson agreed. "That's just it. She tries to be so strong for me, even when she doesn't have to be." Carson took another puff, this time inhaling. The smoke rushed into her lungs, filling her nose and stinging her eyes. She coughed violently, choking, as tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt Heidi pounding on her back. "Oh, god." She finally recovered. "Here." She handed the cigarette back over. Heidi chuckled and stubbed it out in an ashtray. "You got that out of your system?" "Yea, I think --" "Annie Carson Garret!" Kennedy's voice boomed from the dock. "Get your half-naked butt over here, now!" "Uh-oh." Carson looked from Kennedy to Heidi, and then back again. It was a long way from the garage, down the sloping back yard, to the dock. "There's no way she didn't see me smoking." Carson closed her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach for more reasons than one. "Sorry, chica." Heidi patted her on the back. "You wanted to fall off that pedestal." "Yeah, but I wanted a soft landing, not a crash." Carson stood and retrieved her top, slowly tying it on as she eyed her fuming lover. She felt vulnerable enough, without facing Kennedy up close half-dressed. On the other hand -- She grinned and dropped the tiny piece of material. Maybe distraction was her best course of defense. "Stay put," she cautioned Heidi. "Are you kidding me?" Heidi studied the angry woman on the dock. "I'm not moving until you two talk. Shea's bigger than me, and unlike you, she's not in love with me. I'd rather not die today." Carson suppressed a giggle, knowing laughter would only piss Kennedy off worse. "Wish me luck." She dove into the water and swam for shore. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Carson climbed the ladder up to the dock and paused, the water running off her body in rivulets and dotting the sun-parched boards with wet spots that dried almost as fast as they touched its surface. She raked her hand back through her hair, then strode forward with a confidence that belied the hurt confusion in her eyes. It occurred to Kennedy just how comfortable they were with each other most of the time, and that after eight months, she was no longer dealing with someone who lacked so much as an ounce of insecurity. No, Carson had come into her own, and despite the current situation, it was a beautiful thing to behold. A body's length away from Kennedy, Carson stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. They stared at each other for several long, intensely quiet moments Carson finally broke the silence, her hands dropping down to her hips. "You know, the last time you spoke to me in that tone, we almost broke up." "I know." Kennedy crossed her own arms and looked down, only for a second, before she forced her gaze back up to meet eyes that could bring her to her knees without a word. She'd regretted her outburst the minute it left her lips. "And I'm sorry." Her gaze drifted past Carson, to the boat and Heidi, who was busy tying her swimsuit top back on. She looked back at Carson. Carson's expression softened, and she moved a step closer, her voice much gentler. "You know, after we almost broke up, we told each other we loved each other for the first time. There's only one reason I'm going to let you get away with it this time, until we get rid of Heidi and have a chance to talk." Carson closed the distance between them and reached up. Kennedy almost shied away, as a firm hand patted her cheek, the pressure of Carson's touch a bit stronger than necessary. "And it's because I still love you." Kennedy drew in a breath and grasped Carson's hand. "I love you, too. And we do need to talk." Her chest hurt and her stomach was suddenly in knots. It was a still new and surprising thing sometimes, to care about someone so much that seeing them do something destructive terrified her. It had been surreal, rounding the corner of the garage to find Carson and Heidi together, topless, and smoking -- something. She studied Carson closer, watching her hands shake. "You okay?" "Honestly? No." Carson stepped even closer. "I feel a little sick." "May I ask what you were smoking out there?" Kennedy retrieved a towel hanging over the dock railing and wrapped it around Carson, gently drying her off. "Just cigarettes," Carson replied. She looked up, her eyes full of sorrow. "Surely you don't think we were smoking anything stronger, do you? After all we've been through, all you've been through, I'd never --" Her eyes dropped and she crossed her arms again, a tremor working its way through her still-wet body. "Sweetheart, I was so surprised, I didn't take time to think. I just reacted." And she knew she had. So many things had flashed through her mind in an instant -- her alcoholic pot-smoking friend, with her increasingly willing-to-experiment girlfriend, on a boat in thirty feet of water, with no life vests or life guards. She sighed. "Logically, I know better. I honestly thought more of what I know of Heidi, than what I know of you, and for that I couldn't be more sorry. You -- um -- smoked before now?" "No." Carson wrinkled her nose in disgust. "First and last time, thank you very much. I don't know what's in those things beside tobacco and nicotine, but when I inhaled, it rushed to my head and made me buzz all over. I think I'm a little high, actually." "Really?" Kennedy looked up and cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Heidi, what brand you smoking these days?" "Newports!" She yelled back, and saluted. "Permission to come ashore, cap'ain." "God," Kennedy murmured under her breath. "No wonder you look a little green around the gills. I don't think she could go much stronger unless she switched to Camels without the filters." She patted Carson's back and yelled again. "Come on. Let's see if I can rustle up dinner." "K, dinner doesn't sound very good right now." Carson clutched at her own stomach. "How about ginger ale on ice?" She draped an arm across Carson's shoulders and looked back. Heidi was climbing up the dock ladder and Kennedy realized she would be paying for losing her head with a swim out to retrieve the boat later. "Hey Heidi, meet us in the kitchen, okay?" "Hold on." She caught up to them. "If you need me to leave, I can. I figure you two need some alone time." She looked from one to the other. "And I'm really sorry for my part in all this." "No need to apologize." Carson touched Heidi's arm. "I didn't do anything I didn't want to do." "Still, I think maybe I should take off." She looked back toward the boat. "Except my damned Blackberry is out there." "No worries. I'll go out there in a little while to move the boat back into the boathouse." Kennedy continued toward the house. "No need to leave. I promised you both dinner, and I intend to keep my promise. Could you go on in and put some ice in some glasses, Heidi? We'll be right behind you." "Sure." Heidi grabbed a t-shirt she'd left on the porch, sliding it over her well-tanned shoulders. After she'd gone inside, Kennedy turned to Carson and the silence settled over them again. "She sure knows how to take a hint, doesn't she?" Carson finally smiled. "Yeah. She's good people." It was such a relief to get a smile, Kennedy' knees almost buckled at the sudden sensation of every muscle in her body relaxing at once. She placed her hands on Carson's shoulders. "We good for now? We can talk tonight." Carson moved closer, lacing her fingers behind Kennedy's neck and drawing her forward and down, pressing her forehead against Kennedy's. "We're good." She quickly pecked her lips and drew back, touching those lips. "But you're not off the hook." "Babe, I don't ever want to be off your line." She combed her fingers back through Carson's hair. "You know." She cupped Carson's cheek, feeling her press against her hand. "I think we're getting a lot better at fighting." "Yeah." Carson smiled. "It rocks, doesn't it?" "Absolutely." Kennedy held the back door open for her. "Take a seat, and I'll get you that ginger ale." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dinner passed without much fanfare, with Katie joining them. They skipped from one topic to another, carefully avoiding discussing the events of the afternoon. Finally, Kennedy brought the boat in, along with Heidi's beach bag, and Heidi left to finish unpacking boxes. Katie turned in early, pleading pregnancy, and Carson retired to the couch, stretching out and tucking a pillow under her head. The buttery-soft leather was cool and comforting against her slightly-sunburned skin, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the peaceful silence. Her heart and head were all mixed up, leaving her unsettled, and although the high of the cigarettes had faded, they'd left a sluggish sense of heaviness behind. She had no inclination to move quickly, or to move at all, for that matter. A cool, wet nose nudged her foot and she opened one eye halfway. "Hey, Spanky." The tubby tabby cat sauntered slowly up her body and settled down on her stomach, curling into a purring ball. She stroked his soft head and scratched his broad, handsome chest. "You're a good boy," she cooed. Looking up, she saw Kennedy enter the den and drop into a matching leather recliner next to her. She drew her long legs up, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Hey." Kennedy's voice was cautiously listless. "How you feeling?" "Like a big ol' pile of horse poop," Carson replied ruefully. "You want to talk tomorrow when you feel better?" "No." Carson rolled to her side, easing Spanky off her stomach, who curled up with a minimum of protest, in the curve of her body, against her legs. She smiled and continued to pet him for a moment, then looked up, meeting Kennedy square in the eye. "What was going on with you this afternoon, anyway?" The question blindsided Kennedy, as the same question had been on the tip of her own tongue, aimed at Carson. Her eyes grew wide and then she sat back, considering what, exactly, had been bothering her. "Part of it was definitely seeing you smoking. It was the last thing I expected to see. It's just not --" she trailed off and looked up. "Not me?" Carson finished for her. Kennedy nodded. "Yeah." "That's fair," Carson acknowledged. "But it doesn't explain why you yelled at me like I'm a kid. K, you know -- you KNOW -- that's one of my biggest buttons. Let me tell you, I counted to twenty-five while I was swimming to that dock, and in between counts I told myself I wasn't going to just haul off and slap you when I reached you." Her face scrunched up in residual anger. "I don't like wanting to hit you." "I'm sorry, Carson. It was just -- everything. I'll admit my mind went to pot first. It's what Heidi and I used to do out on Galveston Bay almost every weekend when I lived in Houston. It's what got us in trouble, and I know it caused more than a few accidents. I remember once having to rescue one of our friends after she fell off our pontoon boat, drunk off her butt. I saw you smoking, and the boat, and my head went back to that place. I was afraid you might get hurt." Carson sat up and simply stared at her for so long, it made Kennedy squirm. "I'm going to forget, for a moment, the part of what you just said that really hurts my feelings. Because I would hope, by now, you know me better than that. If I had the slightest interest in trying drugs, which I don't, you would be the first person I'd come to, to talk about it. I'd never sneak around behind your back on something like that. What I can't push aside, Kennedy, is the part where you're lying to me." "I am not!" Kennedy sat up tall, her entire posture screaming in protest at the accusation. "Carson, please. I might be an over-reacting idiot, but I'm always honest with you. Always." "Okay, then maybe you're lying to yourself." Carson got up and then knelt down next to Kennedy's chair, and touched her on the leg. She stroked the dark skin with her thumb, watching goose bumps dance across Kennedy's calf and travel up her arms. "Honey, if you were afraid I was getting high and might be in such bad shape that I'd fall overboard and drown, then why did you yell at me to jump off the boat and swim to the dock?" It was emotional whiplash. "I --" Kennedy opened her mouth and then closed it. Her mind reeled, searching for something, anything to hold onto. "I don't have a good answer for that," she finally responded. "Oh, god, Carson." She covered her face with both hands, exhaling shakily. "I don't know. I really don't." Finally, she dropped her hands and looked up, curling into herself a little and shrinking back. "If you'd been -- " she choked out. "I'd have put you in real danger." Her eyes were so sorrowful, Carson couldn't remain angry. "I don't think you really thought I was smoking pot, K." She sat back, reaching out and plucking at Kennedy's tennis shoe laces. "But --" Carson held up a hand, and Kennedy closed her mouth. No matter what Carson had to say, if it would absolve her of utter stupidity and recklessness, she desperately wanted to hear it. "Close your eyes, honey." Carson waited until Kennedy complied. "Now, pretend you came around the corner of the garage, and instead of catching me sitting on a boat with Heidi, topless and smoking, picture us sitting on the back porch smoking, fully-clothed. How would you react then, hmmm?" "I --" Kennedy stopped, playing both scenes out in her head. The imaginary scene on the porch was bothersome, but benign compared to the one she'd actually seen. Reality had been physically shocking, and had sickened her a little. She'd walked down the yard to the dock, her eyes riveted on the boat. She'd known they were topless sunbathing, but the image imprinted in her mind set her stomach on edge all over again. Carson, taking a drag and releasing it, then coughing and leaning over, her breasts swaying a little as the boat rocked with her movement. And Heidi, also topless, reaching across and patting her back, rubbing it until Carson recovered. Visually, it had been a very intimate scene, even though she knew in her heart and mind, that there was nothing going on between the two. It hit her all over again, and this time she allowed her honest emotions to surface. "Can I make a confession?" Carson scooted closer, resting her hand on Kennedy's knee and propping her chin on it. "Yes. Please do." She smiled knowingly. "Embarrassing as it is to admit, I think a part of me reacted with jealousy when I rounded the corner and saw you two half-naked and kind of cozy together. I think if you'd just been lying there I wouldn't have reacted the way I did, but all of it together -- the smoking, which was a huge shock, and yall's posture -- it was a little too much for me, and I went ballistic." She reddened in shame. "It's not that I don't trust you, or Heidi either, for that matter. Hell, Carson, Heidi and I have sunbathed together like that more times than I can count, and you and I have, too, a good dozen times now." "Honey, you and I don't just sunbathe topless, half the time we sunbathe naked." Carson grinned. "Go on." "Mmmm. We do more than sunbathe when we're naked." Kennedy grinned in return, then sobered. "But I'm ashamed at my reaction to you and Heidi. I know better. Really, I do. It's not that I don't trust you. I think it was more seeing you in a situation with someone else, that I had come to take for granted as belonging to us. Possessiveness is a truly ugly emotion. I know I don't own you, Carson. It's your body. It even came up during the meeting with the garden club." "My body came up with the church ladies?!" Carson exclaimed in horror. " 'Splain, please." Kennedy laughed. "Not your body, at least not exactly." Carson squawked again, a half-choked dismayed noise, and Kennedy stroked her head. "Calm down. All I did was casually mention I needed to get home and make sure you weren't frying yourself on the boat. I didn't say anything about being topless. I don't even think you'd text messaged me yet at that point. But one of the little girls asked if I thought it was wise to bake in the sun like that and that segued into a discussion about mutual respect in relationships, and I told them I try not to ever tell you what to do." She sighed. "And that's true. But it doesn't mean that seeing you lay out without sunscreen, or smoking cigarettes, doesn't bother me. I love you Carson, and I want you in my life for a very long time." "And I want to be in your life for a very long time." Carson crawled up into the chair, and draped herself across Kennedy's lap. "Better?" "Much." Kennedy wrapped her arms around her and gave her a squeeze. It felt so damned good she wanted to cry. She planted a kiss on Carson's shoulder. "Can you please try very hard to do something for me?" Carson touched a fingertip to the end of Kennedy's nose. "Can you please, please, in the future, just calmly tell me if I'm doing something that's bothering you, instead of yelling at me? And can you please give me the benefit of the doubt instead of jumping to conclusions? It's demeaning, K. I had to put up with it from my father. I don't want to put up with it from you. I’m a big girl, and I'd like to think I have a good head on my shoulders." "I know. And I can't say it enough. I'm so very, very sorry, Carson." Kennedy reached up, touching her face. They'd both learned, early on, of some of each other's hot buttons. Unfortunately, they'd also learned just how easy it was to push each other at the same time, and the ugliness that usually resulted. This time, though, had been much less traumatic. She could still remember that first time they'd fought, and the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that it was all over, that she'd lost someone very precious, before they'd ever gotten off the ground, really. Carson's forgiveness had been a sweet gift she'd known she didn't deserve, just like now. "I love you. I can't promise I'll never screw up again. I’m going to try, but if I do --" "When you do," Carson gently corrected her. "When I do," Kennedy repeated slowly. It hurt already, knowing they were bound to fail each other from time to time. She didn't want a 'when,' she wanted an 'if.' Being human truly sucked sometimes. "When I do, please remember I don't ever say things to hurt you on purpose. I was an idiot, Carson. I completely let my emotions run away with me. Forgive me?" "I already have." Carson leaned over and kissed her. "Can I ask you something?" Kennedy came up for air, and Carson nodded. "Why did you decide to smoke today? I always thought you weren't curious about it." "Oh." Carson looked up. Paybacks could be hell. "I asked you to be honest with me if something was bothering you. I guess it's time for me to give you the same courtesy. I can't even remember exactly how it came up. Heidi was smoking and I was in sort of a funk. I'm not sure why, but all of a sudden her cigarette looked kind of good. Trying it made me feel a little rebellious and a little free, kind of like I did when I got my belly button pierced. But I had to think about why I needed to rebel, and Heidi and I got to talking, and I told her that sometimes I think you hold back from me because you have me on a pedestal." "Hold back?" Kennedy tilted her head, her eyes genuinely confused. If anything, getting together with Carson had brought an amazing emotional freedom to her, and a level of intimacy on both the physical and emotional plane, which she'd never dreamed possible. It hurt, just a little, to hear that maybe Carson didn't feel the same. Kennedy had felt there were very few barriers between them anymore. "Babe, I'm a very private person, but with you, I don't usually feel like I have to be reserved. It's been an amazing gift, actually." "Most of the time, yes. You're amazingly open with me. What I meant, is that you sometimes act like you need to protect me, especially from your past. Like you want to shield me from that part of yourself." Carson stroked the dark head, soothing a furrowed brow. "Am I mistaken?" Was she? "I've tried, really hard, to put the past behind me. There are some things that are so ugly, Carson, that even I don't want to revisit them. Are you asking for a soul-baring confession of everything I've ever done?" She frowned, her lips a grim line. "I've moved on from so much of it, I don't know I have the fortitude to re-visit all of it, but I will, if that's what you need." "No. Oh, no." Carson struggled for words. It was so frustrating sometimes, this honesty thing. "I -- just -- what I want, at least what I think I want, is that when things do come up, past or present, that you don't handle me with kid gloves. I won't break, honey. This is a partnership, and partners should support each other. But I can't support you unless you let me." "But you do!" Kennedy practically yelped. "Oh, Carson, every single day. My life -- it was so very empty before I met you. Maybe I do have you on a pedestal. You saved me from a meaningless existence. I hope you'll cut me a little slack. I can't help it if sometimes I feel protective of you. There are times when I just look at you, and it's the most awesomely amazing thing that you're in my life. You make me so happy, Carson, just by being who you are." "You know," Carson choked out, on the verge of tears. "Not so long ago I told you I loved belonging to you. I think, I love that now, more than ever." She closed the distance, sampling Kennedy's lips in a sweet exchange that left them both trembling. Kennedy reluctantly broke off. She was exhausted, her body limp and her heart on the verge of breaking from a roller coaster ride. Love, sometimes, was a lot of hard work but the reward of love returned, there was no price she could ever put on it. "Don't forget, that goes both ways. I belong to you, too, Carson." "I think I owe you an apology, too." Carson nibbled her lower lip. She blinked and sniffled, and Kennedy's heart ached, feeling her emotions. They were both incredibly tired. "What ever for?" Long fingers traced a pair of blonde eyebrows, and a pink cheek, and then a pair of pouting lips. There were times when Carson was cute -- doing a little shimmy dance as they walked down the dock together, or pouncing on her in bed on the rare mornings Kennedy slept later, or doing a teasing little striptease as they got ready to shower in the mornings. But there were moments when she was simply beautiful, and this was one of those times. Carson's heart was an open book, and there was no hiding her emotions. Kennedy need only look into her eyes, to see to the bottom of her soul. "I remember how freaked out I got in Alpine when you showed me that joint you lifted from Pete, and how I thought the worst. And I felt so sick, K. Because I love you, and the thought, even a very brief thought, that you might be considering doing something harmful, it hurt." She cradled Kennedy's face in both hands, as if she were holding a valuable treasure, which she was. "I did that to you today. I may not have meant to, but nakedness aside, me smoking hurt you. I think I understand how that felt. And I think I know how I'd feel if I came around a corner and saw you half-naked with Valerie, even though I trust you. That would still feel pretty icky. I think from now on I'm going to save that for the times when just you and I are out on the boat." "You don't owe me that," Kennedy protested. "I meant it. It's your body and as long as you aren't cheating on me, I need to grow up and let you do what you want to do." "Shhhhh." Carson pecked her on the cheek. "I know I don't owe it to you. It's something I want to do. What we have is special, and I love that we're completely comfortable when we're naked together. I don't think I want to cheapen what we have by making it common with other people." "And I think I'm the luckiest woman in the world." Kennedy stood, scooping Carson up and setting her on her feet. They came together, their bodies seeking comfort in a hug that lasted half a lifetime. After a while, Kennedy stretched out on the couch, drawing Carson down until they were cuddled together. "This feels so incredibly nice." She nuzzled Carson's hair. "I'm too tired to move." Carson sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. Kennedy felt her relax and heard the even breathing of sleep. She reached over, turning off the lamp on the table next to them, leaving only the glow of a low light from the kitchen. One by one, the rug around them became dotted with canine and feline bodies, and the family settled in for a peaceful evening. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continued in Chapter 7

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